Book Review - Michael Cecchi- Azzolina's Your Table is Ready: Tales of a New York City Maitre D'

Thank you to NetGalley and Libro FM for providing me with both digital and audio copies of Michael Cecchi-Azzolina’s memoir, Your Table is Ready: Tales of a New York City Maitre D’.

I appreciate having access to both the digital and audio arcs, but decided to go with the audio, as it was narrated by the author. Authors are not always the ideal person to narrate their books, but Cecchi-Azzolina is a larger-than-life type of person and a riot. His memoir is filled with outrageous stories, but hearing them in his heavy New York accent with the thrill in his voice, lended to the overall experience.

Your Table is Ready is a great pick for anyone who would like a behind-the- scenes look at the restaurant industry. It has shades of Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential, but instead of a chef’s perspective, Cecchi-Azzolina gives us a glimpse of the chaos happening in the front of house. The chaos that professionals in high-end dining manage to conceal from patrons, usually giving us a calm restaurant experience. Primarily set in the 1980’s, Cecchi-Azzolina’s career in the restaurant industry was drug-fueled and rife with sexism among other aspects of the era that would be considered taboo now. He also speaks of the many friends and colleagues that he lost to the AIDS epidemic, ending the memoir with a very touching tribute. As much as his memoir is a look at the restaurant industry, it is also a peek into the norms of a different era.

Cecchi-Azzolina has plenty of wild stories, including getting entangled with the mob. I’m not going to give the story away, but it’s intense and will have you worried as it unfolds.

Towards the end of the book, I had the surreal experience of realizing that I have friends in common with the author. Cecchi-Azzolina is also an actor and my friends were producers of one of his films. However, the story is better than that, as one of Cecchi-Azzolina’s customers helped fund the film. I immediately paused the audio and called my friend, who had only nice things to say about Cecchi-Azzolina, mentioning that he was the kind of guy, who “always knows a guy.” This confirms my impression of him from his book- he’s a character in the best possible sense!

Your Table is Ready is a fun, fast-paced, engaging read. I’ve never worked in the restaurant industry, but I find the behind-the-scenes of it to be fascinating. It has made me more aware and appreciative of the complexities of running a successful restaurant.

Book Review- Andrew Morton's The Queen: Her Life

Thank you to Libro FM for providing me with an audio version of Andrew Morton’s latest biography, The Queen: Her Life.

Andrew Morton is the preeminent royal biographer and his latest book, The Queen: Her Life, is a deep-dive into Queen Elizabeth II. Originally published in the UK for the queen’s platinum jubilee, Morton’s book was released in the United States just a few months after her death. 2022 was certainly a big year of changes for the royal family and this biography was released at a time when public interest is running high.

Admittedly, as an American, my recent interest in the royal family has a few layers. The biggest having to due with marrying an English husband and having the opportunity to visit the various palaces on our trips to visit family. In fact, we were at Buckingham Palace just a few days before the Queen passed. Another aspect of fascination and likely many people would agree, is Peter Morgan’s The Crown. While the show is historical fiction, emphasis on fiction, it has a way of capturing the imagination and wondering how much is reality. Another layer is simply being American and the allure of a culture so different from our own. We only have Disney castles here! This is all to say that I have been building my collection of Royal biographies and I was eager to read The Queen: Her Life.

This book did not disappoint. Although the timeline of her life’s big events was mostly familiar to me, and I would imagine most readers, I relished the smaller details, especially with regards to her childhood and her relationship with her sister Margaret. I think it is most interesting to see the Queen from the perspective of things that make her relatable and somewhat ordinary, such as childhood friendships and hobbies. It made me think about a statement that a former college professor made, about history being about ordinary people who rise to extraordinary circumstances. Granted, being born into the monarchy is a type of destiny, however, as a child, Elizabeth could have had no idea how her life would play out. Morton’s book balances the private and the public, giving us a rounded look at one of modern histories most famous and influential people.

Book Review- Betty Gilpin's All the Women in My Brain and Other Concerns

Thank you to Libro FM for the audio version of Betty Gilpin’s memoir, All the Women in My Brain and Other Concerns.

Actress Betty Gilpin was raised in New York by two parents, both in the entertainment industry. She recalls a colorful childhood in a warm household where delivering a good story was currency. Gilpin grew up watching her parents perform in Broadway shows and to her, being in a theatre, surrounded by theatre people was just normal life. Transitioning into adulthood, Gilpin struggled to find her place, but eventually found success in film and television. It took her awhile, but she also found romantic love and tells quite the beautiful love story.

I’m a fan of Betty Gilpin and enjoyed learning more about her. She narrates the audio book and very entertaining in her narrative. As you might gather from the title, Gilpin struggles with all of the competing voices in her brain. This is not to imply that she has a mental disorder, but that like most women, she struggles with different roles and expectations. It’s relatable.

One of Gilpin’s best roles is as Crystal in The Hunt. I had no idea that there had been so much controversy swirling around this film, controversy that lead to death threats and the film nearly being canceled. Gilpin describes her excitement over this project, including a fair bit of creative license given to her by the director. It was impossible to not feel deflated for her with the troubles that plagued The Hunt, including opening just prior to the pandemic shutdowns. That said, it is a fantastic film and I loved hearing Gilpin’s enthusiasm for her work.

The most touching part of the memoir involves Gilpin’s growth with love and relationships, including her bond with her dog, Babe. Animal lovers will need to have tissue handy.

Gilpin is just all-around fabulous and I really enjoyed All the Women in My Brain and Other Concerns.